Key Verse: “Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him” (1 Kings 1:5).

Dwight Lyman Moody, an American evangelist, in one of his sermons, stated: “Satan rules all men that are in his kingdom. Some he rules through lust. Some he rules through covetousness. Some he rules through appetite. Some he rules by their temper, but he rules them. And none will ever seek to be delivered until they get their eyes open and see that they have been taken captive.”

From our text, Adonijah, the fourth son of David, after Amnon, Chileab and Absalom, was caught in the web of ungodly ambition. Amnon, the first son, who had an unholy affair with his sister, Tamar, had already been killed, while Absalom, the third son, who staged a coup against his father, was also killed. Nothing was known of Chileab, David’s second son, born to him by Abigail, widow of Nabal the Carmelite. Adonijah who wanted to become king instead of Solomon was the oldest son still alive.
Therefore, Adonijah thought he would be the next king, after his father, David, who was very old. He made plans towards achieving his course. He knew his father would soon die and he got the support of Joab, David’s military commander, and Abiathar the priest to make him king. But Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah and David’s bodyguards refused to support him. Adonijah still went ahead with his selfish ambition, planning a ceremony where he would declare himself the new king.

Nobody can run faster than God. Adonijah’s inordinate ambition led to his premature death. Solomon did not even fight for the fulfilment of God’s promise that he would succeed his father. Whatever God has ordained for you must come to pass, the machinations of enemies notwithstanding. He knows how to thwart the conspiracy of darkness against your job, business, promotion and family. Pray and trust God.

Bible in One Year: Joshua 22-24

Thought for The Day: Ungodly ambition is a gilded misery.

Written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.